Fri, 03 Aug 2018 05:03:23 -0700WeeblyFri, 03 Aug 2018 10:40:56 GMThttp://www.lifenuts.org/blog/relativity-by-mike-fremont-96-years-youngNote: I asked Mike Fremont, whose lifestyle this website is based on, to write a guest blog, as he did several times in the summer of 2012 before setting a new world marathon record in November. I thought that, since, six years later, he’s showing no signs of slowing down – although he runs mostly shorter races – his perspective on life would be interesting. I asked him, “How does a 96-year old avoid the nursing home?” Mike felt that relativity is an important angle. Here’s his response.

Don’t be overcome with fears of nursing homes. I go to visit my contemporaries in them all the time and they all seem happy, never complaining. Years ago one of these was E.E. Keller (Eek), in his 90’s, holder of international records for long-distance running. He was seven years older than I and he kept his trophies in the trunk of his old Buick parked near his apartment. He must have run on the grounds outdoors in good weather but the staff were concerned when he ran in the residence corridors in bad weather “what if someone opened a door when he was running by”, or “what about a crash with a wheelchair coming around a corner?”

We “borrowed” him for a Thanksgiving Day 10K race with promises to take care of him. He not only ran the race but won his age group and got a prize! He started off pretty fast in the race and I soon realized he didn’t want to lose sight of the person in front of him!

Continuing one’s sports in old age is really fun, relative to being younger. Nobody expects anything of you (they shouldn’t!). There is – effectively - no competition. Considering the 19,743 healthy diets available today, I can still run races on the Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet, the modern name for the Vegan Diet, which was the modern name for the Macrobiotic Diet that I adopted at age 69 to deal with cancer. I’d been given three months to live if I declined an operation - so, there was a gun at my head. But I cleaned out my kitchen and stretched that three months to 27 months. The surgeon said he’d looked for metastases - seen by the diagnosticians - in 35 places, and found none. That is what the change in fuel did! No radiation, no chemotherapy, just a different diet.

The WFPB has let me live outside of nursing homes for 27 years, without a headache or stomach ache and maybe two colds in those 27 years. I also lost the arthritis I had on the old standard American diet and now eat all I want absolutely without concern. WFPB is meat, egg and dairy free (no poultry, fish, seafood). It’s whole grains, legumes, vegetables, nuts, seeds and fruits.

As elders, our athletic performance is pitiful relative to younger folks and we tend to moan about how we get slower or less competitive as we age - every year, or month even, shockingly… and predictably. But the public makes a huge fuss over our diminished bodies in our occasional presences in races, which for us is incredibly rewarding.

On a closing note, here’s an interesting stat: sales of vegan food rise to $3.3 billion, with experts saying veganism has “gone mainstream.” Also, the sales of vegan milk (almond, rice, soy, hemp) are up 9% while cow milk sales have dropped 6% in just 12 months.]]>Sun, 29 Jul 2018 19:22:05 GMThttp://www.lifenuts.org/blog/positivity-vs-negativity-and-agingWhen I Googled the phrase, positive thinking and aging, I got just over four million sites, a bit too many to look at. But, since all of them posted results connecting the power of positive thinking with an increased life expectancy, I didn’t delve further. Next, I did a search on the phrase, negative thinking and aging, and got just under two million sites, still too many to go through, though I did look briefly at one, a Reader’s Digest article - https://www.rd.com/health/wellness/negative-thoughts-aging/As you might guess, it commented on cell death caused by a variety of negative expressions such as pessimism, cynicism, hostility, and others. The article cited several studies linking these behaviors with the shortening of telomeres, which leads to cell death. Ironically, the author did not mention frustration, jealousy, anger, or sadness, which have all been shown to release cortisol, the hormone that suppresses the immune response. If such behaviors become chronic, the effect of cortisol release can lead to a challenged immune system, which can foster the growth of viral cells (the common cold), bacterial infections, and even cancer.

The reason I brought this up is because I spent a group dinner with such a negative person not long ago. There was some arrogance and rudeness on this person’s part, which I tried to ignore, but it got old quickly. Even though I had not met this person, I thought that I would enjoy the dinner since I thought we had something in common and since other friends also would be there. But, when I couldn’t get involved in the conversation and tried to figure out what to do, I thought of Wayne Dyer, the psychologist, motivational speaker, and author, whom I studied and listened to during my early business years in the 1980s. His books and tapes helped me a lot. Interestingly, his personal life didn’t mirror his writings and motivational advice. Married three times, the last one ending in separation. Leukemia in 2009. He died in 2015 of a heart attack at the age of 75. A wise psychologist but not a lifenut.

Well, what would Wayne do, I wondered as I sat next to this chap at dinner. Once someone asked that question to Dr. Dyer. His response was that he would avoid such an individual. Well, I couldn’t walk out on a dinner with several husbands and wives present. No way. That’s rude, too. So I meditated. How? By repeating “calm, calm, calm” silently in my mind. A soft smile came with that. Peace followed. And, the evening finally ended. On the drive home I told my wife that I wouldn’t have dinner with that person again. And, after a day, I forgot about it.

Two days later I had a “fix” of positivity with my nutritional mentor Mike Fremont on a 45-minute walk in the park. I explained the situation to him and listened. Mike, a gentle soul with amazing sensitivity for a Yale-educated engineer, agreed that negative emotions can cause problems. Kindness never hurts. And, Mike is never quick to criticize nor is he cynical. So I just listened as he rambled on, as vibrant as any 25-year-old, and I marveled at his mental acuity. I needed a dose of positive thinking and I got it from this lifenut, now only 96 and going strong. A few weeks later I asked him to do a blog for this site. Maybe we’ll get some more of his lessons next month.

]]>Thu, 10 May 2018 20:53:07 GMThttp://www.lifenuts.org/blog/what-do-you-do-when-you-turn-96Well, if you’re like most folks, you’re probably thinking that you’d be sitting in a wheelchair, going to meals in an assisted living complex, or figuring out which meds to take and when to take them. Unfortunately, that’s a pretty accurate picture of old age in America and most fit into this scenario. It’s great news for Big Pharma since 75 percent of people over 50 take prescription medication, according to a 2016 survey by AARP. A much higher percent of those over 65 take meds. Even worse, 80 percent of those take at least two meds and 50 percent take four or more meds. But Mike Fremont is not your typical 96-year-old.

On April 24, a few weeks ago, he accepted the challenge of running in an event hosted by Drake University and Blake Boldon, the former director of the Indianapolis Marathon and currently the director of the famous Drake Relays. The race is called the US 1 Mile Championship - the Grand Blue Mile. So off he went, flying from Cincinnati to Des Moines, Iowa. And he also flew in the mile, establishing a new American record in the men’s 95-99 category with a time of 13.55, 53 seconds faster than the previous record set in 1990 by a 95-year-old. Nice going, Mike.

But he wasn’t finished. On Friday, April 27, Mike competed in the masters 800 meter race and, though he didn’t set another record, his time of 6:46 was faster than a lot of younger Americans could manage. As Blake commented in his email, “More than that, it will help Iowans and a broader audience realize that retirement - and life in general - isn’t intended to be spent on a couch.” Blake gets it.

And, to spice up this newsletter, here’s a video of Mike in Iowa –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDBxJGcgeUEHow does he do it? Well, if you’ve read the blogs on this site, then you should know that LifeNuts is based on his lifestyle – a vegan diet, exercise, sense of humor, stress management, good investing, and all the other qualities that Mike has. Oh, I should include that he ran a 5K at last weekend’s Flying Pig marathon. No rest for the wicked!

Life is full of choices: to set running records or keep track of meds. And, old age creeps up on all of us without much notice. LifeNuts know the answers.

]]>Thu, 08 Mar 2018 16:41:45 GMThttp://www.lifenuts.org/blog/lifenut-guinea-pig-turns-96Question: When you turn 96, how do you celebrate? If you’re LifeNut model and current “guinea pig” Mike Fremont, you simply run a 10K. Yes, he’s still going strong, proving that a LifeNut lifestyle offers plenty of fun and vitality, hardly a life confined a wheelchair, a nursing home, or some other dreadful prison.

Ever the humorist, Mike, currently in Florida for a few more weeks, emailed me, “Did a 10K race (maybe the 20th time down here) and told all the staffers along the way ‘Nobody’s passed me yet!’ An 80-year old beat me in the 80 and over bracket but they gave me a ceramic commemorative cup. Maybe it was for second place.”

As for me, I recently launched a new website, dedicated to fine art, which keeps my ikigai alive. If you like art, you can subscribe to my artsy newsletter at that site –https://robertkroeger.com/email-newsletterBeing old can be fun!

I recently returned from ten days in the West – a combination of a bucket list thing, a marathon, and a visit with my son and his family. The bucket list: when my roommate and I were about to begin our senior year in dental school 45 years ago, we drove west in my VW bug, camped in my boy scout pup tent, and basked in the glory of a mini-adventure, taking us from Columbus, Ohio, to Yellowstone, to Seattle and Victoria, down the stunning Oregon coast, through the smog of LA, San Diego and Tijuana, the Grand Canyon, and the Cowboy Hall of Fame. One night we camped in Missoula, Montana, where I ran their marathon last week. After the marathon, Pat and I visited our KOA campground, not far from our hotel. I like a comfortable bed nowadays.

Though we spent a few days before and after the trip to visit my son and his family in Salt Lake City and then drove north through Idaho, most of our time was in Montana. Now, I’ve run marathons in many western states – Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, and Colorado – and I’ve come to enjoy the people of the west for their authenticity and lack of frills. But this was my first lengthy exposure to the folks of Montana.

Let me explain that I am an observer of people and that, when I meet someone, I like to watch, listen, and try to figure out where the person is from. Some are brisk, some seem unhappy, some are critical, some are judgmental. But western people, by and large, are different: they seem content and genuine. And, after a week in Montana, I must say that these people epitomize this character even more than those in other western states. They’re not only happy but enthusiastic. I rarely heard any complaints.

I made this observation not only by interacting with the volunteers during and after the marathon, but also from the many encounters we had at hotels, restaurants, shops, and art galleries. What struck me the most was their enthusiasm. After a few days of this I asked some of them why they felt this way. I’m not sure they could really explain it, but I remember than more than one commented on the unfriendliness they felt when they visited the east – Boston, New York, and other big cities.

As the days progressed, I thought about their Montana attitude and how it relates to health. If one is critical, jealous, angry, depressed, then his or her health will reflect this emotional state. That’s been proven in blood studies done repeatedly. I’m not sure if this is related to their physical condition since Montana is the 10th healthiest state in the county – with obesity levels far below the average. Healthy mind, healthy body.

I would guess that there are many lifenuts in Montana, though I wasn’t thinking about that when I visited. Upon reflection, it makes sense. Their enthusiasm must come from their love of the outside, being active, and being in good shape. Not a bad lesson for all.

Oil painting has become my ikigai and takes up most of my spare time, which means that my LifeNut blogs suffer. But something happened today that made me return.

Because my wife Laura continues to have problems walking, we decided to take advantage of a seminar offered by a local chiropractor who also provided a lunch after his pitch. At the Golden Corral. What a glimpse into a microcosm of American health.

If you don’t already know, Golden Corral is a restaurant chain that features an inclusive buffet – all you can stuff into your tummy. About 20 years ago I ate at one when two of my sons and I went on a golf trip. I was heavier then and loved all their tasty food. And my stomach was big enough to fit a lot of it in.

Fast forward 20 years to today. Each of the offerings has a label of the number of calories, though there’s no mention of fat or saturated fat content. Hey, that’s a positive. And, there were lots of vegetable selections and fruit. But I admit that I had trouble passing up the chocolate cookie. Just one. Anyway, that’s not the main point.

We arrived about ten minutes before show time and couldn’t believe that the room was packed. Luckily, a lady moved to give us her seat on the aisle that Laura and her walker could handle. Nice of her. After us, two more arrived and had to sit in the aisle. I think even the chiropractor was surprised. We’ve been to some of the “free dinner” financial presentations, which are never this full. Why, I asked myself.

As I looked around the room, I noted that, with the exception of an older Asian couple, everyone was obese, some morbidly so. A lady sat in the front row next to her 20-something son. They barely fit into the chairs they sat on. Most of the folks were middle-aged. Some older. Whatever the mass mailing brought in.

I saw America today. Funny, 20 years ago, when I ate at the Golden Corral, I didn’t notice the obese. Of course, my BMI then was probably close to 30. So why would I notice? And what drew them here today? Was it the topic of neuropathy, disease of nerves? The free lunch? Or an answer to their medical afflictions? I’m guessing, judging from their bellies, the Golden Corral helped, but I think that they were more interested in a remedy to their problems, which, of course, are mostly related to their obesity and their lifestyle.

As the chiropractor explained mainline medicine’s approach to neuropathy – drugs and surgery – there were oohs and aahs at certain times, indicating that the folks could identify with what he was saying. He asked how many were taking medications. Everyone raised their hand but me. How many were taking five. Many hands. Ten? One hand. He asked if anyone felt the best he or she ever felt in his or her life. My hand was the only one to go up.

He explained that he sees a lot of people with Type II diabetes (obesity-caused) and other diseases. He told us that he also offered a weight control program. That didn’t seem to spark any interest. He also offered a light therapy and a TENS unit, both of which have been shown to increase circulation, which helps to heal damaged tissue, such as nerves.

And he asked for sign-ups. For a regular exam charge of $249, there was a special seminar price of $89, but, if one signed up for an appointment (and paid for it) today, the price was lowered to $29. Many signed up.

Later, while Laura and I ate lunch, the chiropractor came by, introduced himself, and asked if we had any questions. After Laura explained her condition, I told him about the LifeNuts program and mentioned – ever so quietly – the obesity factor, shared by almost everyone in the room. He smiled, knowing the implication. However, rather than preach about prevention, which is noticeably missing in modern medicine, he focused on treatment. Perhaps during his treatments, he suggests diet and exercise. Hopefully.

The experience made me think about how the AMA has allowed obesity to run wild, dramatically increasing the need for medical services – physicians, drugs, treatment – while keeping the numbers of medical graduates low enough to avoid an oversupply. Cagy.

I guess I’d be in that obese crowd if I hadn’t decided to get healthy and change my lifestyle. Recently, someone told me that nearly all of winners of the Biggest Loser TV series had regained the weight they lost. Diets don’t work. Lifestyles work. So, why not join the LifeNut crowd, ditch the meds, buy some new clothes, and feel good about yourself? It’s a big step, but it’s worth it.

It’s been sometime since I’ve posted here, though I’ve thought about it many times. Procrastination affects all of us, to one degree or another. Guilty as charged.

Being in Florida now has given me a chance to reflect, especially when I find a sea shell on the beach. Seashells are like people – no two are alike. Even those from the same family show differences, though sometimes the differences are hard to see. Seashells, like people, have different colors: black, brown, white, cream, yellow, red. Some are cracked and broken; some are whole. Some are sturdy and tough; some are delicate, even fragile. Some don’t look like much on their outsides, but their insides sparkle. Just like people. On the other hand, some seashells with beautiful outsides aren’t too pretty on the insides.

Being tossed in the sand for months or years can weather the shell, making it smooth and pleasing to the touch, taking off rough edges. Hopefully, we, too, improve with age. You can drop some shells, like the thick Atlantic ark, tough guys, on the floor and they practically bounce. They have resiliency, a trait that helps keep them intact. Some people are resilient, just like the arks. Some aren’t.I’ve also noticed a lot of people in Florida in their 60s, 70s, and 80s – either living here permanently or visiting to escape the northern winter. Without being critical – and just observant – most of these people seem decrepit. Many must use canes or walkers. Some look like they just got out of bed … except that’s it’s three in the afternoon. The other day, while observing, a thought came to me: these folks come here to die. That may sound awful, but that’s what I thought. They look fragile, hopeless, pitiful – like ships without rudders, moving with the ebbs and flows of the current. What’s their purpose in life? What do they do all day?Then I thought about the LifeNuts gold standard, Mike Fremont, who turns 95 next month. He’s still active, engaged in environmental work, trying to make a difference in the world, and he’s still running races – anything from a 5K to a half-marathon. He’s alive and he has purpose, something he taught me long ago. He’ll compete in a major canoe race this summer – 70 miles long.The Japanese have the longest life span – nearly 84, with the females leading at 86.8. The U.S., at number 31, has moved up a few slots, now just ahead of Cuba but over four years behind Japan. Why? As I’ve mentioned – and as Mike Fremont’s life proves, a plant-based diet and a strong purpose in life are keys to Japanese longevity. OK, they eat a little fish now and then. But they eat until they’re 80 percent full and they know when to stop. And, since there’s no word for retirement in their language, they continue to fill their days with activity, with purpose.In America and especially in Florida, or so it appears, old age is not pretty: crumbling, deteriorating, and dependent on society, medications, hospitals, nursing homes. On the brighter side, Mike Fremont shows what a LifeNut can be at 95 – vibrant, funny, energetic, alive. I want to be like Mike when I’m 95, too. I can only hope.

A recent article in the Washington Post discussed loneliness. Research has found that it can be lethal, but that’s not news, though it makes for interesting reading. “No man is an island,” a theme that’s been around for awhile, infers that we all need each other. Businesses need customers to survive. Cities need people to keep them vibrant (some are failing, some are thriving) and, don’t forget, a government needs tax payers. Oh yes, we all know that.

Scientists have identified links between loneliness and illnesses – heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and other maladies, which lead to a shorter lifespan. The researchers have found that lonely people develop cellular changes which lowers their immune protection, allowing disease to flourish. However, each individual differs in personality so that loneliness varies, too: an introvert may be perfectly happy living alone and an extreme extrovert may feel neglected at a teeming football party. It’s all about expectations and one’s view of reality.

One New York City therapist commented that each week he sees patients who feel depressed over Facebook postings: everybody has friends but me. The article concluded that loneliness has become a public health issue, especially for those over 60.

Why over 60? Well, look at our divorce rate, now at 54.8% and approaching Sweden, the world’s leader in that statistic (54.9%). So, yes, there are a lot of single, divorced people in America and a many are over 60. Companionship, additionally, seems more important than ever later in life. As our relatives and friends die (the USA has a much higher death rate than other countries), our network of companions diminishes. So why not get married? Or live together, known scientifically as cohabitation?

That thought drove me to look up Professor Scott Stanley who has researched marriage, divorce, and cohabitation for over 40 years. I used his research in developing the relationship aspects of LifeNuts. https://portfolio.du.edu/sstanleyIn looking at thousands of relationships, he found that cohabitation, living together before marriage, led to unpleasant topics: an increased divorce rate, shorter life expectancy, and, what’s amazing, less happiness during marriage for those who cohabit than for those who didn’t cohabit before marriage. There are many reasons for this, which are available in Dr. Stanley’s research, which has been validated by other university professors.

In one of his blogs, he referred to an article in the New York Times, which began with a story about a therapist’s client who spent a fortune on a lavish wine-country wedding. The two had spent four years living together before their wedding. A year later the wife was in therapy, terribly unhappy and wanting a divorce. She was 32.

The author mentioned that in 1960 there were 450,000 Americans who lived together; now there are more than 7.5 million. Why so many? There are two main reasons: one, it seems logical to check out your partner before committing to marriage and two, if everybody’s doing it, it must be OK (the lemming effect). Also, Hollywood stars, idolized by many, frequently have children out of wedlock proudly (Webster still defines such children as bastards), cohabit, and divorce frequently, glamorizing this lifestyle. Movies, stories and reports in the news media, and advertising have a subtle way of changing our culture, sometimes for the good, but often for the worse.

The NYT article delved into cohabitation and the dilemma of the wife-client but it failed to look at the major issue: commitment, although the article mentioned that word once or twice. And it ignored world-wide trends on marriage, happiness in marriage, and divorce.

So, to conclude, if the USA and Sweden (where some of the most beautiful people in the world live) are nearly tied at 55%, which country has the lowest divorce rate? India. One.one percent. That’s right – 1.1 %, one out of a hundred, versus 55 out of 100 for our county. How can that be? Don’t parents arrange marriages there? Yes. You don’t understand? Neither did I … until I asked a running friend, from India, about it. He told me that he and his wife met in the US but returned to India to ask their parents for approval. They’ve been married for nearly 30 years now. I’ve known other Indian young adults who return to India to get married. Their parents in India select a mate, the two meet and get to know each other for a few weeks, then get married. That’s it. Divorce rate: one percent. Go figure.

I asked my friend if Indians have sex before marriage. No, they don’t, he said. What interested me more were his comments on the western concept of “love,” which he said was extremely embellished. Hollywood stuff, again. He explained the difference between commitment and love, difference which seems to be a factor in why Indian marriages survive and American marriages don’t. Perhaps it also reflects happiness in marriage, which studies show is higher in those who don’t live together before they get married.

So, the question remains: to stay single and be lonely or to get married and risk divorce? LifeNuts aren’t lonely, and, although their longevity depends on many factors – diet, exercise, finances, they know that maintaining good interpersonal relationships is important. The website and the book explain this crucial component of a long, healthy, and happy life in detail. Don’t be a statistic: be a LifeNut.

Welcome to 2016, another year in our lives – one with new opportunities for change. While traveling in our historic Southwest, I read a column in a local newspaper, one written by a Mexican-American. He was lamenting the health issues that citizens of Mexico – not New Mexico – were facing. He explained that, decades ago, Mexicans had low rates of heart disease and diabetes. But times have changed.

Today’s Mexicans, according to the writer, suffer high rates of heart disease and diabetes, due to the “Americanization” of the Mexican diet. How about exercise? Many Mexicans, in the good old days, had to walk everywhere. No cars. They walked, sometimes miles, to work, to shop, to visit friends. They worked their fields, they fished, they moved. And they ate a lot of beans and vegetables. Meat cost more than veggies. So, yes, their lifestyle has changed and their life expectancy reflects this change, ranking number 55 in the world, about 20 places behind the USA. Yes, that’s right, our country, one that spends more per capita on health care than any other, ranks 34th in longevity. Ironically, Spain, the mother county of Mexico, has a life expectancy of 83, placing it in second place, behind only Japan. Why do Spaniards live four years longer than Americans and six years longer than Mexicans? Maybe “Americanization” hasn’t hit Spain. Yet.

Another piece of news that intrigued me was the Forbes listing of the richest man or woman in each state. Wanting to see who was number one in Ohio, I scrolled through the first half of states, briefly looking at those who had achieved high levels of financial success. Does it make sense that a wealthy person would have access to the best information on staying healthy? Yes. But, alas, nearly all of these rich people were obese. Can money buy good health? Yes and no. Well, these folks can afford medications and medical treatment, but they can’t avoid the diseases that accompany obesity: sooner or later they come, like villains in the night.

So, with the New Year, why not take charge of your health? Don’t be a statistic. We have enough of those. Be a LifeNut!